Hitmen killed teenager at wrong address, court told

Aamir Siddiqi, 17, of Roath, Cardiff, died after answering his door to masked men who were intending to attack another man, Cardiff Crown Court was told yesterday.

His parents tried to fight them off, but were also stabbed by Ben Hope, 37, and Jason Richards, 36, the jury was told. The two defendants, both of Cardiff, deny murder.

"Neither he nor his parents had any expectation that their lives would be shattered by that attack that day," said Patrick Harrington QC, for the prosecution. He told the court that Aamir was a passionate sports fan, and intended studying law at Cardiff University after his A-levels at a £9,000-a-year private school.

Mr Harrington said the two men had been recruited to carry out an attack over a debt.

"In what can only be described as staggering incompetence, they went to wholly the wrong address and killed an innocent young man who was waiting for his Koran teacher," he said.

Their intended victim was a man with four children, living around the corner in a terraced house in a neighbouring street, he said.

"They were disorientated, possibly because of drugs, when they went to completely the wrong address," said Mr Harrington. The court heard that after killing Aamir they went on a shopping spree with money they received for the attack.

Mr Harrington said they later blamed each other for the murder.

The court heard the defendants were paid a "pittance" for the attack by wealthy Dubai-born Mohammed Ali Ege, 32, who is now on the run after fleeing abroad.

The trial continues.